Manson killer Patricia Krenwinkel granted parole again after nearly 6 decades behind bars

Former Charles Manson follower Patricia Krenwinkel, who is serving a life prison term for her role in the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders, has again been recommended for parole, state officials confirmed today.Krenwinkel, 78, was preliminarily granted parole Tuesday at her 18th subsequent suitability hearing, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.“All grants of parole are proposed decisions and become final only after a thorough and comprehensive review by the Board of Parole Hearings and the Governor,'” CDCR officials said in a statement.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story Krenwinkel was convicted of seven counts of first-degree murder in 1971 for participating with fellow Manson family members Charles “Tex'” Watson and Leslie Van Houten in the Aug.9, 1969, killings of the seven-months-pregnant actress Sharon Tate, Thomas Jay Sebring, Abigail Ann Folger, Wojciech Frykowski and Steven Earl Parent and the slayings of grocers Leno and Rosemary LaBianca the following day.She originally received a death sentence, but it was reduced to life in prison under a California Supreme Court ruling that invalidated all death sentences before 1972.Krenwinkel was most recently granted parole May 30, 2025, but Gov.

Gavin Newsom reversed the decision Oct.13, 2025.In his decision, Newsom commended Krenwinkel for her “efforts to improve herself in prison,” including earning multiple college degrees and maintaining “an excellent disciplinary history.” But he concluded that those factors were outweighed by concerns about her potential danger to the public.“When considered as a whole, I find the evidence shows that she currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time.

Therefore, I reverse the decisio...